DIZZEE Rascal’s ex-fiance has told survivors of domestic violence “you’re not alone” after the rapper lost his appeal against his conviction for assaulting her.
Cassandra Jones said the court verdict showed that “wealth and status cannot be used to silence women”, and that “there is support”.
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She said: “Domestic violence is a crime that affects one in four women in their lifetime.
“I want to thank my family and friends and the specialist organizations who have supported me all along and also tell other women experiencing abuse that regardless of money or influence, there is support and you are not alone.”
Ms Jones added that the profession had been “hugely distressing” to her, and that the experience had helped her understand why “so many women are leaving the criminal justice system”.
Dizzee Rascal, 38, whose real name is Dylan Mills, was found guilty in a trial last April of assaulting Ms Jones by pressing his forehead against hers and pushing her to the ground during a “chaotic” arguing at her South London home in London. June 2021.
The musician, known for chart-topping Bonkers and Dance Wiv Me, sat quietly in the dock at Inner London Crown Court when his appeal against conviction and sentence was dismissed.
District Judge Vanessa Baraitser, who sat with a panel, said they were “satisfied” that the case had been set up “in the manner alleged by the Crown” and that Mills “used his forehead to push Ms. Jones around” the room.
During his trial, Mills, who had two children with Ms Jones before they split in February 2021, allegedly burst into the house, hit his head three times against a fridge while holding his son, and began “yelling” at his ex-partner and her mother Dawn Kirk.
The judge said Ms Kirk had been a “convincing” witness whose statements during the appeal were “balanced” about the angry scenes she witnessed that night.
Ms Jones previously told the appeal hearing that she “stumbled to the floor” after Mills “pushed his forehead against my forehead and pushed me across the room”.
She said, “He reached his red fog where he just doesn’t care.”
Mills testified Friday, denying the claims and saying he was not angry when he arrived at the house.
He told the court that Mrs Jones was “hostile” to him when he arrived at her home.
Mills said he had a “good day” with his family in the hours before.
He said he was not in a “bad mood” when he arrived at the house, but that it was “annoying” that Mrs Jones had been constantly contacting him about why he was late getting there.
The court heard he told her in one of their conversations that she sent him “little triggering text messages” and that “you don’t deserve that much of my time or energy, I’m just there for the kids”.
Mills said voices rose in the house when a fight over money broke out between the musician, his ex-fiancée and Ms Kirk.
He said he went into the kitchen and asked Mrs. Kirk “why she let Cassie use my children as a weapon against me”.
Mills said of Mrs. Jones that “she was yelling at me” before adding “we were all yelling, it was very loud”.
He claimed she hit him with a cell phone, saying, “She lashed out at me. She hit me a few times and she scratched me. She hit me with the phone.”
He added, “I took it from her. She hit me and hit me again.”
In a prepared statement given to police after Mills was arrested, he said he suffered scratches on his left arm from the attack and that this was documented by a nurse, the court heard.
Mills described himself as “calm and relaxed” when the police arrived, but the court heard him tell them “I am the aggressor”.
Asked by his attorney Sallie Bennett-Jenkins KC why he made that comment, Mills replied, “I was just making air and jesting.”
In April 2022, Mills was given a community order, which included a 24-week curfew and a 12-month restraining order prohibiting him from contacting his former partner, and was ordered to pay £2,190 in costs and a £95 surcharge .
These sentences have not changed and the restraining order expires in April.
Mills was also ordered to pay £620 appeal costs.
Mills, who released his debut album Boy In Da Corner in 2003, was awarded an MBE for services to music in the Queen’s Birthday Honors in 2020.
How to get help
Women’s Aid has this advice for victims and their families:
- Always keep your phone nearby.
- Contact charities for help, including Women’s Aid’s Live Chat helpline and services such as SupportLine.
- If you are in danger, call 999.
- Familiarize yourself with the silent solution, report abuse without calling, dial “55” instead.
- Always keep some cash with you, including change for a phone booth or bus fare.
- If you suspect your partner is about to attack you, try moving to a less risky area in the house, such as where there is a way out and access to a phone.
- Avoid the kitchen and garage, where knives or other weapons are likely to be found. Avoid rooms where you can get trapped, such as the bathroom, or where you can be locked in a closet or other small space.
If you are a victim of domestic violence, SupportLine is open on Tuesdays, Wednesdays and Thursdays from 6pm to 8pm on 01708 765200. The charity’s email support service is open weekdays and weekends during the crisis – [email protected].
Women’s Aid offers a live chat service – available on weekdays from 8 a.m. to 6 p.m. and at weekends from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m.
You can also call the free 24-hour national domestic violence helpline on 0808 2000 247.